Crowd at JR Koenji Station on Awa Odori night.The Koenji Awa Odori is basically a parade of dancers. Many groups of dancers from various parts of Japan participate in the parade that follows the main shopping streets near Koenji Station on the Japan Railways Chuo Line in Tokyo.

Monorail to Chiba Koen Station 千葉公園駅

Each dance troupe starts with a lantern bearer showing the name of the troupe.The dance is quite simple. While bobbing up and down, the dancer holds her hands above the head and shakes the fingers. This hand gesture indicates that the person has gone crazy. It is therefore nicknamed the "fool's dance." The dance is held on the last weekend in August.

View of Chiba Park from monorail. 綿打池

The troupe can consist of children (as young as age 2 or 3), women, and men.The Awa Odori originated 400 years ago in Tokushima Prefecture (in Shikoku) where it is one of Japan's most famous festivals. Although it is not as large as the one in Tokushima, the Koenji Awa Odori in Tokyo has become a major summer festival in Tokyo.

Chiba Park approach

The Koenji Awa Odori has become a major summer festival in Tokyo. It had a humble beginning in 1957 when it was originally called the Koenji Baka Odori. "Baka" means fool.

One trademark of the dancers is the crescent-shaped straw hats.

White weeping cherry blossoms

The men look more like the "fools."

White weeping cherry blossoms

The parade route centers on JR Koenji Station. There are wide and narrow portions of the route.If it rains, they may stop the festival early.

Pink weeping cherry blossoms

It is most crowded along the large avenues. The crowd is several rows deep. Those in the front are expected to sit down.

The dancers hop on one leg.So what is Tokushima's Awa Odori doing in Koenji, Tokyo? It was first organized by a youth group of Koenji's retail merchants in 1957. They wanted to hold an event to attract more shoppers to the area. Neighboring town Asagaya had already started the Tanabata Festival in 1954. The Tanabata Matsuri, of course, is from up north in Sendai, Miyagi Pref. So the Koenji folks decided to transplant a southern festival to Koenji. That was the Awa Odori.

The first Koenji Awa Odori in 1957 had only 57 dancers and about 2,000 spectators. Iroha-ren いろは連There are now about 30 to 40 Awa Odori parades held in Tokyo alone, usually in shopping areas. The one in Koenji is the largest in Tokyo.

These days, they have 10,000 dancers from 70 dance groups and over 1 million spectators. Also see the video at YouTube.いろは連

Tokushima and Tokyo have the most number of Awa Odori troupes with 40 to 50 each.Edokko-ren 江戸っ子連

Most of the weeping cherries are planted along the pond's edge.

One end of Shakujii Park.

Paper plane sculpture

Edokko-ren 江戸っ子連

Chiba Park weeping cherries

Shakujii Pond 石神井池

Another sculpture in the Aviation Memorial Park.

Kokesaku-ren 苔作連

Boats for rent

Swan boats on Shakujii Pond. 石神井公園

Air Nippon YS-11 propeller plane. Donated by All Nippon Airways in 1997.

Kokesaku-ren 苔作連

YS-11 propeller plane. Open to the public on certain days of the year.

Kimagu-ren きまぐ連

Front of YS-11 propeller plane.

Kimagu-ren きまぐ連

Shakujii Pond 石神井池

Propeller

美遊ひよこ連

Part of the original runway at the Tokorozawa Aviation Memorial Park. 所沢航空記念公園

美遊ひよこ連

Tokorozawa Aviation Memorial Park. 所沢航空記念公園

美遊ひよこ連

Engetsukyo Bridge, symbol of Ritsurin Park. 栗林公園 偃月橋

Kasai Rinkai Park waterfront

Tokorozawa Aviation Museum. The building on the left is an IMAX theater, and the larger structure on the right is modeled after a blimp on the inside to show retired planes and helicopters. Looks like jet turbine too. 所沢航空発祥記念館

美遊ひよこ連

Crossing the bridge

Kasai Rinkai Park waterfront

What is this?

In front of Tokorozawa Aviation Museum is a Curtiss-Wright C-46 transport plane.

Bikkuri-ren びっくり連

North Pond

Kasai Rinkai Park waterfront

An egret stalking insects. It did not mind us photographers only meters away.

The C-46 was used by the Japan Air Self-Defense Forces for cargo transport from the 1950s.

Inside the Tokorozawa Aviation Museum. You are greeted by a replica of Kai-1, Japan's first military plane developed, produced, and flown at Tokorozawa on April 5, 1911. It flew 10 meters high and 800 meters long for 80 sec. 会式一号機

Sometimes you see a gaijin participant. F.I.A.-ren えふあいえい連

Baby stingray (dead) beached.

Other more modern planes and helicopters are on display in the main exhibition hall. This is a North American T6G.

Mitaka-ren みたか連

Swimmers in summer at Kasai Kaihin Park, one of the few places in Tokyo where you can enjoy an ocean beach.

Sikorsky H-192 comments

Mitaka-ren みたか連

Kasai Kaihin Park beach

Japan Air Self-Defense Force helicopter.

Mitaka-ren みたか連

Inside helicopter

No swimming sign

Kikusui-ren 菊水会菊水連

Arakiyama hill 荒木山A low hill is next to the pond. Some cherry trees are also on this hill.

Kasai Kaihin Park beach. In the distance are Tokyo Disneyland hotels.

Helicopter cockpit with glass bottom.

Kikusui-ren 菊水会菊水連

Arakiyama hill 荒木山

In the murky waters.

Kikusui-ren 菊水会菊水連

Photogenic weeping cherry シダレザクラ

Above is a Piper L-21, below is Fuji T-1B.

Kikusui-ren 菊水会菊水連

きたまちじゃじゃ馬連

Weeping cherry tree is "shidare-zakura" in Japanese.

きたまちじゃじゃ馬連

"Shidare" actually means "drooping."

Remains of a Nieuport 81E2.

Many of the troupe names have pretty meanings such as Maicho-ren which means "Dancing Butterfly." 舞蝶連

Monument for the Ohga Lotus, a 2,000-year-old lotus flower species discovered in Chiba by the late Dr. Ohga in 1951. 大賀ハス

Replica of Nieuport 81E2. This was first imported to Japan in 1918 and used to train Japanese pilots by a French mission.

Maicho-ren 舞蝶連

Lotus Pavilion, the Ohga Lotus blooms around this pavilion during June and July. 蓮華亭